Shopping King Louie (2016)

This drama is beyond hilarious. For the longest time I put off watching Shopping King Louis thinking it would be all style and no substance. This is not the case at all. The tone is light for the most part and packed full of hilarious antics from the main cast as well as the myriad of side characters all of whom are wonderful. The chaebol concept is taken and spun on its head, there is no sight of a cold or surly main protagonist making Seo In-Guk a revelation, he is so wonderfully innocent and good natured you can not help but go along with all of his shenanigans. Nam Ji-Hyun is also lovely as the heroine Kim Bok-Shil, whose brand of refreshing optimism is rather endearing.

The plot is sweet enough to abate any fluff cravings but be warned there are not immense scenes of drama or melancholy to be found here. Any moments of contention or conflict are interspersed with comedy and just plain old fluff. That should not deter you, if anything this is a great watch, that won't play with your feelings (too much) but stays firmly in the realm of lighthearted comedy.

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SKL was full of cute. That just sums this show up really well. Seo In Guk as Louis and Nam Ji Hyun as Bok Shil were just so cute you could die. Louis is a high maintenance fella, but Bok Shil is so sweet and naive that she just takes care of him faithfully and trusts him implicitly. While he's high maintenance, Louis is also incredibly loyal and adorable. She can't resist him.

This is just one of those shows that make you feel good while you watch it. Cotton candy fluff at its finest. Watch this when you want to smile non-stop and watch the cutest couple fall in love. :)

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Updated Review 2022:

I finished my first rewatch of Shopping King Louis this past weekend, and I'm so happy I decided to watch it again. First of all, I loved it my first watch through. The story and the characters were effortlessly charming, and the story was great fun to watch. It was a feel-good drama from beginning to end. Upon rewatching, however, I've realized that this drama is so much better than I remembered it being, and now I love it even more. Truthfully, I'm surprised at how incredibly well-crafted this drama is and how well it still holds up. Kdramas from its time tended to have problems with plot consistency, particularly towards the end, but this drama kept itself in check the entire time. There's not a single dropped or unsatisfactorily wrapped up plot point to be found here. And the story itself isn't just fluffy entertainment (although it is certainly entertaining in a delightfully fluffy way). Shopping King Louis has some real meat on its bones, something I don't think I particularly appreciated the first time I watched it.

For example, the writers never rely (not even once) on drawn out conflict or misunderstandings (like most dramas of its time) to keep the plot moving and the audience interested/watching. When issues are introduced, they are summarily addressed in an appropriate manner at an appropriate time. There are no nonsensical misunderstandings or randomly added conflicts that serve to do nothing more than frustrate the viewer. Everything is there for a purpose, and everything ties together in realistic and valuable ways. What's better, the drama has a consistent habit of bringing back small moments from early in the drama to give them greater meaning in the overall story. Nothing is superfluous or wasted.

And the one part of the story that would have been the easiest to mishandle, the leads separation after learning what happened to the Bok Shil's brother and how that connects Bok Shil and Louis to each other, is done to superb affect. I initially went into the break-up and separation kicking and screaming, because like most drama lovers who've been watching dramas for a long time, we've been down this road many times before and have the trauma to prove it. But they utilized the cliche/trope So. Well. in Shopping King that I had to change my mind. I do wish Bok Shil and Louis could have come to the conclusion on their own that they wanted to stay together, because they ultimately love each other and there's clearly no anger or hurt towards each other over what happened so what are they separating for anyway, but I have to give the drama the credit it is so obviously due and admit that the break-up/separation was used really well and furthered the story in a meaningful way.

In closing, this is a total comfort drama, perfect for when you when you want a story that will make you feel good. I absolutely stand by everything I said in my original MDL review and then some, so I'll just add it here:

The romance is bubblegum sweet, the story is gentle and heartwarming, the twists smart and unexpected. The characters make you smile and laugh and cry and smile some more. It's basically like one big, exhilarating, endorphin releasing shopping trip, but without any regret. Everything you bought is exactly what you wanted for exactly the right price. This is going in my list of favorite drama's, Pronto!

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Here, I crown the drama as my favourite..

There is a lot I want to say but any review won't do justice to this drama.
It touched my heart in certain ways... might be cause I can relate to some little things in the story.

Do not let "cliches" confuse you.Overall, this drama is just...so heart-warming and meaningful.^^

Seo In Guk pulled it off really cool.Then again, has there been something he couldn't pull off ? -.^
Have no worries about the female lead, they do match! It's so touching to watch them together. And Yoon Sang Hyun, this ajushi never fails :)
It has a lot of bgm so it may disturb some.Since I'm a musicophilic, it was just fine for me.

If I had to choose just one word to describe this drama, it would be. "YEPPUDA"

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A very touching story. I really like how mild and creamy the characters are. This is a very different drama compare to some intense and action-packed dramas. A warm connection all over. This kind of story is a must watch for family since it gives a light feeling of love. It didnt get me bored at all. If there's a chance, I wanted a season 2, but I think it'll ruin the drama. But still. seo in guk really is a good actor. Completely opposite of his character on Hello monster. I'm really amazed. Heart

I can say, a good drama does not always have to be bloody and intense or too much actions and betrayals or whatever. This is the best drama in its genre. I really hope to watch more of this kind.

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I will start off by saying that this drama wasn't really that amazing. But it was highly enjoyable which is really what gave it this high rating.

STORY:
Ok so the story was nothing new. We've all seen these troupes before in many different shows, however I did still enjoy every moment of it. I think this show isn't something to watch if you need something a little more serious with a good plot. However, I think if you want something light (this show doesn't have anything too dramatic in it) with some comedy, then this is definitely a good watch. I really liked the development and pace of it and how it still managed to surprise me with some plot twists. The romance story was really cute and innocent and seemed so natural. But I think the ending was a bit dragged and they could've easily wrapped this show in 12 episodes.

CAST:
I think the leads were both attractive and fit their roles very well. Louie's character got on my nerves many times because of how annoying he was, but he did mature throughout the show and was so much better at the end so A+ for character development. My favorite character here was definitely Cha Joong Won. I actually liked him much better than Louie but it wasn't like a SLS situation because I think the main leads were perfect for each other.

MUSIC:
Definitely my favorite part of this drama is the music. I personally downloaded all 9 of the OSTs. Most of the songs have this "chill" vibe that fits the aesthetic of the show and it's the kind of genre that I prefer. What I also really liked here is that each of the episodes, is titled after some already existing song that is somehow incorporated into the episode. For example episode 2 is titled "A whole new world" and they play the song " A whole new world" from Aladdin in one of the scenes. I just thought this was a fun way to title the episodes and how a certain song is associated with the episode.

REWATCH VALUE:
I gave the rewatch value a high score because I've personally rewatched this show 2 times. I don't have a specific answer as to why because, like I said earlier, there isn't much about the story that's too interesting. But something about the innocent love and funny characters just has this spark.

Overall, this was a very FUN show to watch. Sometimes there's these shows that are not that good but they're just really entertaining. This is what Shopping King Louie is like.

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I loved this show. It was great. It was never boring not even for a second. The story was funny and made me happy, sad, mad in a good way. They did a great job on this story. The acting was great. All the actors and actress did a great job in this show. The makeup, hair and outfits were on point the whole time. The setting was super pretty. I could tell that the director of this show put his whole heart into it. The script was written super well. Everything that happens in the story makes since. The translation was done super well too. The romance in the story was super good. There was enough drama to keep the story entertaining the whole time. There was good character development and the plot was good too. I loved that Louie had lost his memory and when he found out who he was again he still loved the girl that had helped him the whole time he didn’t know he was rich.i loved that before he lost his memory he loved shopping and when he lost his memory he still loved to shop. I liked that detail. Louie and the main girl in the story have such good chemistry together their romance is the best.

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I just finished re-watching Shopping King Louis because I wanted something that would be a nice break from all the melodrama that my other shows are currently going through. This kdrama is light and fluffy, like popcorn or cotton candy. Seo In Guk as the sheltered chaebol amnesiac Kang Ji Seong/Louis. He's bright and naive and delightful and beautiful. Nam Ji Hyun plays Go Bok Shil, the country girl who comes to Seoul to find her missing brother and crosses paths with Louis who is homeless and can't remember anything about himself. These two just fit together and there's never really a moment's concern that either of the second leads will come between them. Yoon Sang Hyun as curmudgeon Cha Joong Won is over the top and hilarious. The back and forth jealousy between him and Louis over Bok Shil makes me laugh every damn time. Seo In Guk is a joy to watch as Louis learns about the world while searching for his identity. Everything in this drama is over the top enough to actually veer into the category of caricature, but it does so in such a way that I never felt cheated when watching it.

I would definitely watch this again when I'm in the mood for a feel good time. I still give it overall 10 stars, even though I give the story only 8.5. Nothing in the story breaks ground, but the paths it treads are familiar and comfortable.

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This show was completely carried by Seo In Guk and his adorable Louis character. Although Louis was dumb often, he was so adorable and considering his amnesia, I was forgiving.

I couldn't say the same for the other characters, especially the main lead. I've come to realize that I'm not really a fan of Nam Ji Hyun's acting in the first place, but her character in this show was even more frustrating to watch. Go Bok Shil never seemed to learn anything either, and add the fact that she initiated the lack-of-communication/noble-idiocy (MY MOST HATED PLOT DEVICE)...if you asked me what her character development was, I couldn't tell you.

A lot of the side characters were really annoying as well, including the director, who I wish had more of a father figure role instead of a love interest role—and even though his throat-clearing thing was funny at some times as it became a running joke, I also got really annoyed at it, and really annoyed at how he yells every line. His mom was annoying as well, and I didn't really see the purpose of her existence at all.

One thing I can appreciate is definitely the humor and the more light-hearted feel to the story by making the bad guys so hilariously incompetent that I couldn't help but laugh at their situations and misunderstandings. Though I liked the way it didn't show the antagonists as purely evil, I still wish there were more satisfying karma/revenge scenes, which we honestly didn't get any of., especially since neither of the main leads were the type to stand up for themselves.

The last few episodes really had a slower pace and felt more dragged out as well, and I felt like the story could have been wrapped up faster and more cleanly.

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This show has it all: laugh out loud comedy, amazing actors, supporting characters you care about and believable chemistry between the ML and FL. And of course, the sweetest, most caries inducing love. ♥

The OST is great and fits this show perfectly, especially the 2 main songs 'Tigermoth' by Monsta X and 'Navigation' by Kim So Hee. But this OST is choke-full of good songs, so take a listen - it's on Spotify.

Rewatch value for me is very high as I've rewatched this show from beginning to end 2 times already and I watch my favorite scenes/episodes when I need a pick me up.

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Sweet First Love

This show is so great! It's a true romantic comedy, endearing and funny. I got butterflies and laughed hysterically. It is truly a great show and I don't know why I waited so long to watch it. The story is unique in that it is not so overly dramatic that you get heartburn but adds just enough conflict to hold your curiosity. The cliches are heavy but let's be honest, we all love the cliches or we wouldn't watch rom-coms. The cliches are slightly different in this one because they approach it from a light-hearted and funny perspective without being stupid silly. It has silly moments and a bit of ridiculousness but it fits.

The cast is what makes the plot work. The ML was amazing as Louis. He was so endearing and charming as an overgrown puppy. Even when he's being completely and cluelessly selfish, he is charming. (100 Days My Prince, take note!) He was blunt without being mean or bratty which is somewhat hard to act without being annoying. He was by far my favorite. The FL was a good counterpart to the ML. She played her part well and I liked her character. The chemistry between them was so believable, I got all goosepimply when they had there first kiss. It was so sweet and innocent. The supporting cast was good too but the main leads were what made the show.

The music is one of the few that I remember enjoying. It was fun and fit all the scenes.

In general, it was a sweet story of innocent first love without all the angst and stupidity of teenage drama. It is a lovely story and perfect for a dreary day to lift your spirits.

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